This girl could get me killed. James sighs to himself as he looks deep into the animal domestication tribe’s territory, where he witnessed a small child walking heavy-footed through the open field a distance away. As far as he knows, the territory shouldn’t be too dangerous. The animals are usually kept indoors so they don’t run wild. And yet, something felt...off. He couldn’t quite explain it, but he knew that girl was getting herself into lethal danger.
He looked around him for any other signs of life, but came up empty. It’s likely he was the only person to see her wandering around. Should I risk it? Though it was far away, he didn’t recognize the girl. She looked to be weary fancier clothes, meaning she was probably well-off in one of the more influential tribes. Someone should be looking for her.
James thinks for a few seconds, then shakes his head. Damn, when did I get this cold? At that, he hops over the fence surrounding the animal tribe territory and goes into a brisk jog in the direction he last saw the girl. Through the combination of his peak physical condition and the girl’s much slower pace, it only takes a few minutes for James to catch up.
It seems she hears him coming, because she turns to face him as he approaches. Finally seeing her face, James determines she can’t be any older than 12 years old, and that’s the upper limit. He was right about her clothes; she was wearing an unprotected, unarmored sleeveless dress with silk socks and exposed shoes.
His inspection freaks the girl out, and she stumbles back a bit. “Uh, wh-who are you?”
James crouches down to about half his height. “I’m James. What’s your name, little lady?”
She hesitates, and deflects with a question of her own. “Were you sent by my mommy?”
“Nobody sends me nowhere, lass. Just spotted you wandering over here. Where you from?”
She kicks the ground with her feet, staring down at the dirt she was turning up. “The...fertility tribe…”
“And what are you doing all the way out here?”
James hears a few sniffles, and she tries to turn her face away from him. He reaches out slowly, doing his best not to startle her, and draws her chin back to face him. A few tears began streaking down her face, and she sniffled again.
Before he could get an answer from the girl, the ground begins to tremble. James whips his head around, scanning their surroundings. At first, he can’t see anything, but it doesn’t take long for the horizon to show signs of movement. Some of the animals must have gotten out. My kukri won’t be enough for this. “We need to go, now!” He picks the girl up before she can say anything and starts to run back to the fence he used to get in.
The trembling was getting more severe, and James risked a glance over his shoulder. Behind the two, a stampede of animals rushed toward them. Irradiated cows, horses, and others charged forward. Hoping for release from their cramped prisons, the animals were heading to the same place James was: the animal domestication territory’s exit.
The girl continues to cry in James’s arms as he spots the small wooden fence he hopped to get in. That thing isn’t gonna hold these animals in...James slowed his pace, reality setting in. The girl really was going to get him killed…
“COME ON, HURRY UP!” The shout woke James us from his despair, and on the other side of the fence comes a group of military officers. Rejoiced, James sprints for the fence like he’s never ran before. By the time he gets to the fence, the animals are about half a mile away from the fence. He passes the girl over to an officer with his arms out, and jumps over the fence himself. “We’ll take it from here.”
The girl wipes her eyes clean and tugs on the officer’s sleeve. “You...you’re not gonna kill them, are you?”
The officer holds up a tranquilizer dart for the girl to see. “Fortunately, these things still work. We had to modify them a bit, but this should do the trick for just one building’s worth.”
At that, the girl smiles, and the rest of the officers fire their tranq guns at the animals. At each shot, the trembling in the ground gets weaker.
James takes the girl’s hand, and leads her away from the soldiers. “Now little lady, do you wanna tell me what you were doing out there all by yourself?”
She nods, and finishes wiping away the remnants of her tears. “I...I failed the test. They’re gonna put me on the boat! I don’t wanna go on the boat!” At this point, the girl breaks down, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. James reaches his arms out, and she practically falls into them. So much for wiping away her tears, huh?
“Hey, hey, you’ll be alright, little lady. They don’t throw kids in the boat.”
She sniffles again, and her voice comes muffled through his shoulder, “They don’t?”
“I used to live there, you know. They might send you somewhere else, but they won’t put you on the boat.”
“P-promise?”
James takes her and holds her out in front of him. “Pinky promise.” He holds his hand out with his pinky extended and gives her a smile. She wipes away a few of her tears and wraps her pinky around his.
“You can’t break these, you know!” She giggles and wipes more tears off her face.
Damn, am I glad she’s mature for her age. “So, can you tell me your name, little lady?”
“I’m Maisy!” Now that she’s somewhat calmed down, it seems her normal, childlike demeanor has returned.
“Are you okay to go back home now, Maisy?”
“Yeah, I think so…sorry for freaking out, Mister James.”
“Oh, there’s no need for ‘Mister,’ little lady. Lost that title years back.” He stands up fully and reaches his hand down to Maisy. “Well, shall we head on back?” She nods and takes James’s hand, smiling.
He looked around him for any other signs of life, but came up empty. It’s likely he was the only person to see her wandering around. Should I risk it? Though it was far away, he didn’t recognize the girl. She looked to be weary fancier clothes, meaning she was probably well-off in one of the more influential tribes. Someone should be looking for her.
James thinks for a few seconds, then shakes his head. Damn, when did I get this cold? At that, he hops over the fence surrounding the animal tribe territory and goes into a brisk jog in the direction he last saw the girl. Through the combination of his peak physical condition and the girl’s much slower pace, it only takes a few minutes for James to catch up.
It seems she hears him coming, because she turns to face him as he approaches. Finally seeing her face, James determines she can’t be any older than 12 years old, and that’s the upper limit. He was right about her clothes; she was wearing an unprotected, unarmored sleeveless dress with silk socks and exposed shoes.
His inspection freaks the girl out, and she stumbles back a bit. “Uh, wh-who are you?”
James crouches down to about half his height. “I’m James. What’s your name, little lady?”
She hesitates, and deflects with a question of her own. “Were you sent by my mommy?”
“Nobody sends me nowhere, lass. Just spotted you wandering over here. Where you from?”
She kicks the ground with her feet, staring down at the dirt she was turning up. “The...fertility tribe…”
“And what are you doing all the way out here?”
James hears a few sniffles, and she tries to turn her face away from him. He reaches out slowly, doing his best not to startle her, and draws her chin back to face him. A few tears began streaking down her face, and she sniffled again.
Before he could get an answer from the girl, the ground begins to tremble. James whips his head around, scanning their surroundings. At first, he can’t see anything, but it doesn’t take long for the horizon to show signs of movement. Some of the animals must have gotten out. My kukri won’t be enough for this. “We need to go, now!” He picks the girl up before she can say anything and starts to run back to the fence he used to get in.
The trembling was getting more severe, and James risked a glance over his shoulder. Behind the two, a stampede of animals rushed toward them. Irradiated cows, horses, and others charged forward. Hoping for release from their cramped prisons, the animals were heading to the same place James was: the animal domestication territory’s exit.
The girl continues to cry in James’s arms as he spots the small wooden fence he hopped to get in. That thing isn’t gonna hold these animals in...James slowed his pace, reality setting in. The girl really was going to get him killed…
“COME ON, HURRY UP!” The shout woke James us from his despair, and on the other side of the fence comes a group of military officers. Rejoiced, James sprints for the fence like he’s never ran before. By the time he gets to the fence, the animals are about half a mile away from the fence. He passes the girl over to an officer with his arms out, and jumps over the fence himself. “We’ll take it from here.”
The girl wipes her eyes clean and tugs on the officer’s sleeve. “You...you’re not gonna kill them, are you?”
The officer holds up a tranquilizer dart for the girl to see. “Fortunately, these things still work. We had to modify them a bit, but this should do the trick for just one building’s worth.”
At that, the girl smiles, and the rest of the officers fire their tranq guns at the animals. At each shot, the trembling in the ground gets weaker.
James takes the girl’s hand, and leads her away from the soldiers. “Now little lady, do you wanna tell me what you were doing out there all by yourself?”
She nods, and finishes wiping away the remnants of her tears. “I...I failed the test. They’re gonna put me on the boat! I don’t wanna go on the boat!” At this point, the girl breaks down, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. James reaches his arms out, and she practically falls into them. So much for wiping away her tears, huh?
“Hey, hey, you’ll be alright, little lady. They don’t throw kids in the boat.”
She sniffles again, and her voice comes muffled through his shoulder, “They don’t?”
“I used to live there, you know. They might send you somewhere else, but they won’t put you on the boat.”
“P-promise?”
James takes her and holds her out in front of him. “Pinky promise.” He holds his hand out with his pinky extended and gives her a smile. She wipes away a few of her tears and wraps her pinky around his.
“You can’t break these, you know!” She giggles and wipes more tears off her face.
Damn, am I glad she’s mature for her age. “So, can you tell me your name, little lady?”
“I’m Maisy!” Now that she’s somewhat calmed down, it seems her normal, childlike demeanor has returned.
“Are you okay to go back home now, Maisy?”
“Yeah, I think so…sorry for freaking out, Mister James.”
“Oh, there’s no need for ‘Mister,’ little lady. Lost that title years back.” He stands up fully and reaches his hand down to Maisy. “Well, shall we head on back?” She nods and takes James’s hand, smiling.